Door structure for vehicle

ABSTRACT

A door structure for a vehicle capable of increasing its capability of protecting a passenger on the vehicle without increasing the thickness of the pad. The door structure is provided with a door body including an inner panel and an outer panel, reinforcements secured to each of the panels and a pad attached to the inner panel to protect the passenger. In the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, each of the reinforcements has its rear end positioned in front of the passenger. Because each panel has a higher rigid part with the reinforcement and a lower rigid part without the reinforcements, when an external force is exerted on the door body, it begins to deform in the vicinity of the rear end of the reinforcement, whereby it is possible to absorb the energy of the external force efficiently without injuring the passenger.

This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/260,816filed Jun. 16, 1994 U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,031.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a door structure for a vehicle.

In Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 61-171620, there isdisclosed a conventional door structure comprising a door body includingan inner panel arranged on the interior side of the vehicle and an outerpanel arranged on the outside of the inner panel. In the door structure,a waist opening through which a window panel rises and falls, is formedbetween the inner panel and the outer panel and formed in an upper partof the door body. In the door body, an inner reinforcement and an outerreinforcement are secured to the inner panel and the outer panel,respectively, to ensure the rigidity of the waist opening. Each of thereinforcements has an uneven cross section continuously extending alongthe longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Therefore, each of thereinforcements exhibits substantially constant rigidity from its frontend, through its rear end, along the longitudinal direction.

In addition, the door construction comprises a pad, which is made offoamy synthetic material, and which is arranged in a positioncorresponding to a passenger's position in the side view of the doorbody. This pad serves to absorb a shock applied on the passenger whenexternal force is exerted on the door body by a traffic accident, etc.,so that it is deformed to the interior side of the vehicle.

In the conventional door structure as mentioned above, since thepassenger is protected by the pad arranged in the position correspondingto the passenger's position, the thickness of the pad must be increasedin order to progress the capability of protecting the passenger from thedoor body deformed. However, the more the thickness of the pad isincreased to increase the protecting capability, the more the interiorvolume of the vehicle is decreased. Therefore, in the conventional doorstructure, there remains the limitation of increasing the thickness ofthe pad.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an door structurefor a vehicle capable that increases the protection of a passenger inthe vehicle, without increasing the thickness of the pad.

The objects of the invention described above can be accomplished by adoor structure for a vehicle, comprising:

a door body including an inner panel arranged on the interior side ofthe vehicle and an outer panel arranged on the outside of the innerpanel, the door body having a waist opening in an upper part thereof,through which a window panel rises and falls, the waist opening beingdefined by the inner panel and the outer panel;

an inner reinforcement secured on the inner panel in the door bodyextends along the waist opening;

an outer reinforcement secured on the outer panel in the door bodyextends along the waist opening;

a pad secured on the inner panel and arranged in a positioncorresponding to a passenger's position; and

wherein the inner reinforcement or the outer reinforcement is providedin the door body so that the door body deforms at a position in front ofthe passenger.

In the present invention, the inner reinforcement or the outerreinforcement is provided with changeable means for deforming the doorbody at a position in front of the passenger's position, even ifexternal force is exerted on the door body. Thus, the door body iseasily subjected to deformation in its part in front of the passenger'sposition. Consequently, due to such deformation of this part of the doorbody, it is possible to absorb the energy derived from the externalforce efficiently, whereby it enables to decrease a shock which isexerted to the passenger though the intermediary of the pad.

In the present invention, preferably, the changeable means comprise theinner reinforcement or the outer reinforcement having its rear endpositioned in front of the passenger's position.

The changeable means may comprise a part of the inner reinforcement orthe outer reinforcement, the part being arranged in front of thepassenger's position to have a cross section different from the otherpart of the inner reinforcement or the outer reinforcement.

Again, the changeable means may comprise a reinforcing member secured tothe inner reinforcement or the outer reinforcement, the reinforcingmember being arranged in front of the passenger's position.

Further, the changeable means may comprise a notch formed in the innerreinforcement or the outer reinforcement, the notch being arranged infront of the passenger's position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a door structure for vehicle according toa first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the door structure accordingto the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the door structure according tothe first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the door structure of FIG. 3 incondition that external force is exerted thereon;

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a door structure for vehicle according toa second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the door structure accordingto the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a door structure for vehicle according toa third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the door structure accordingto the third embodiment shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view showing a door structure for vehicle according toa fourth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the door structure accordingto the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment according to the present invention.Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 designates a front door andreference numeral 2 denotes a rear door, both of which constitute thedoor structure of the invention. As well as the rear door 2, the frontdoor 1 includes an inner panel 3 and an outer panel 4 shown in FIG. 2,both of which constitute a door body 5. Provided in the upper part ofthe door body 5 is a waist opening 6, which extends from the front sideof the door body 5 to the rear side. The waist opening 6 extends thereofalong a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, which is shown by anarrow "Y". Further, in the upper part of the door body 5, there isprovided a sash 8, which sealingly supports an upper part of a windowpanel 7 when raised through the waist opening 6.

Inside each of the inner panel 3 and the outer panel 4, an innerreinforcement 15 and an outer reinforcement 16 are secured to the innerpanel 3 and the outer panel 4, respectively, to ensure the rigidity ofthe waist opening 6. As shown in FIG. 1, each of the reinforcements 15and 16 extends along the direction "Y", and has an uneven cross sectionas shown in FIG. 2.

A pad 11, which is made of foamy synthetic material, is attached on anouter surface of the inner panel 3, which faces a passenger M. The pad11 serves as a shock absorber to protect the passenger M when anexternal force F is exerted on the door body 5. The external force Fcauses the door body 5 to be deformed to the interior side "X" of thevehicle. The pad 11 is covered with a trim 12 which is arranged in theinterior side X of the vehicle. On an opposite side of the trim 12, amold 13 is secured to the upper part of the outer panel 4. Providedbetween the trim 12 and the mold 13 are weather strips 14 whichsealingly support the window panel 7 from both sides, thereof, in thewaist opening 6.

In the door construction mentioned above, according to the firstembodiment of the invention, both of the reinforcements 15 and 16 areformed shorter than conventional reinforcements. That is, in thelongitudinal direction Y of the vehicle, the rear ends 15a and 16a ofthe reinforcements 15 and 16 are respectively positioned in front of ahip-point "P" of each passenger M, in other words, a "passenger'sposition". Therefore, the door body 5 of the embodiment is provided witha front part of higher rigidity, which is reinforced by thereinforcements 15 and 16, and a rear part of lower rigidity, which isnot reinforced by the reinforcements 15 and 16 to extend behind the rearends 15a and 16a, thereof.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, when the external force F is exerted on thepresent door body 5, it is deformed and bent in the vicinity of the rearends 15a and 16a, since they are parts in which the rigidity is abruptlychanged. Consequently, with the deformation of the parts, it is possibleto absorb the energy derived from the external force F efficiently,whereby it enables to decrease a shock which is exerted to the passengerM through the intermediary of the pad 11.

On the contrary, in the conventional structure, since the conventionaldoor body has been constructed so as to have constant rigidity from itsfront end to its rear end throughout, the door body is not alwayssubjected to deformation at a regular point when the external force F isexerted thereon.

According to the embodiment of the invention, since the door body 5 isprovided with such changeable parts in rigidity about the rear ends 15aand 16a of the reinforcements 15 and 16, the door body 5 easily deformsfrom the parts in the vicinity of the ends 15a and 16a effecting therespective triggers for the whole deformation. Furthermore, since eachof the rear ends 15a and 16a, where the deformation starts, ispositioned in front of the hip-point P of the passenger M, there is nopossibility of contacting ends 15a and 16a, deformed to the interiorside X, with the passengers M. As mentioned above, according to thefirst embodiment of the invention, it is possible to increase thecapability of protecting the passengers M in the vehicle withoutincreasing the thickness of the pad 11.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the invention. Note that, inseveral embodiments which will be mentioned hereinafter, the elementsidentical to those of the first embodiment are indicated by the samereference numerals.

According to the second embodiment of the invention, both ofreinforcements 17 and 18 are provided with reduced rigidity portions 19and 20 having a relatively weak cross section, each of which is arrangedin front of the hip-point P of the passenger M, corresponding to theabove-mentioned changeable parts in rigidity. That is, according to theembodiment, while the other parts 17a and 18a of the reinforcements 17and 18 are formed so as to have a corrugated cross section in order toincrease the rigidity, the reduced rigidity portions 19 and 20 areformed so as to have generally planar cross sections in parallel withthe inner panel 3 and the outer panel 4, respectively. Thus, thereinforcements 17 and 18 are provided with the reduced rigidity portions19 and 20 of lower rigidity in comparison with the other parts of thereinforcements 17 and 18, respectively. Consequently, when the externalforce F is exerted on the door body 5, it begins to deform to theinterior side X, with the reduced rigidity portions 19 and 20 asstarting points of deformation, and then it is possible to absorb theenergy derived from the external force F without injuring the passengersM.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a third embodiment of the invention. According tothis third embodiment of the invention, additional reinforcing members23 and 24 are secured to parts of the reinforcements 21 and 22. As shownin FIG. 7, the members 23 and 24 are arranged in front of the hip-pointP of the passenger M, respectively. With the respective parts of thereinforcements 21 and 22, each of the reinforcing members 23 and 24produces a closed space defined in the door body 5. Therefore, in thereinforcements 21 and 22, the rigidity of the parts provided with thereinforcing members 23 and 24 is higher than that of the other parts,whereby the front ends and the rear ends of the members 23 and 24 canprovide the above-mentioned "changeable parts in rigidity".Consequently, when the external force F is exerted on the door body 5,it begins to deform to the interior side X with both ends of each of themembers 23 and 24, and then it is possible to absorb the energy derivedfrom the external force F without injuring the passengers M.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a fourth embodiment of the invention. According tothe embodiment, both of reinforcements 25 and 26 are partially cut offto define notches 25a and 26a in front of the hip-point P of thepassenger M, respectively. Thus, in the reinforcements 25 and 26 of theembodiment, the parts about the notches 25a and 26a, which correspondsto the above-mentioned "changeable parts in rigidity", have a lowrigidity in comparison with that of the other parts of thereinforcements 25 and 26. Consequently, even if the external force F isexerted on the door body 5, it begins to deform to the interior side Xwith the parts about the notches 25a and 26a, and then it is possible toabsorb the energy derived from the external force F without injuring thepassengers M.

Although the "changeable parts in rigidity" are provided with both ofthe inner reinforcement and the outer reinforcement through theabove-mentioned embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled inthe art that the "changeable part in rigidity" can be applied to any oneof the inner reinforcement and the outer reinforcement. In addition, the"changeable part in rigidity" of the reinforcement may be provided by acombination of forms disclosed in the above embodiments.

Finally, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that theforegoing description of the preferred embodiments of the disclosed doorstructure, and that various changes and modifications may be made to thepresent invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A door structure for protecting a passenger in avehicle, comprising:a door body including an inner panel arranged on theinterior side of said vehicle and an outer panel arranged on the outsideof said inner panel, said door body having a waist opening in an upperpart thereof, through which a window panel rises and falls, said waistopening being defined by said inner panel and said outer panel; an innerreinforcement secured on said inner panel in said door body to extendalong said waist opening; an outer reinforcement secured on said outerpanel in said door body to extend along said waist opening; wherein atleast one of said inner reinforcement and said outer reinforcement isprovided with a reduced rigidity portion entirely located forward of thepassenger's hip point; whereby said door body can be easily deformedforward of the passenger's hip point.
 2. A door structure for a vehicleas claimed in claim 1, wherein said reduced rigidity portion has a crosssection configuration different from other portions of said at least oneof said inner reinforcement and said outer reinforcement.
 3. A doorstructure for a vehicle as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a padsecured on said inner panel and located at a longitudinal positioncorresponding to the passenger's hip point.
 4. A door structure for avehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reduced rigidity portioncomprises a weak portion formed in at least one of said inner and saidouter reinforcement, said weak portion being arranged forward of thepassenger's hip point.
 5. A door structure for a vehicle as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said reduced rigidity portion comprises a notch formedin said inner reinforcement or said outer reinforcement, said notchbeing arranged in front of the passenger's hip point.